To understand this history of a place or time, one must always begin with the land. The world of Georgia's brief rice culture was integrally wound into the unique coastal environment created by a low coastal plain, slow, broad rivers and coastal tides gentled by barrier islands as they met the North American continent. This unique combination of geography and climate gave rise to a phenomenal variety of plants and animals especially adapted to the area.

In the same way, the region also created a unique human environment that sought to capitalize on the special conditions that enabled the development of rice cultivation throughout the region. The choice of this crop led to the coastal lifestyle of the planter and his slaves, both of whom contributed to the economic and social conditions which created a cultural phenomenon in southern history. This "Rice Culture" was limited in area and time, but its impact is evident in the area even today. At Hofwyl, this fragment of our nation's past is preserved.